Assistant Professor of Conservation Science
Assistant Professor of Conservation Science
Dr. Alejandra Echeverri Ochoa is a biodiversity conservation scientist, professor, science communicator, and advocate for women, Latinx, and youth in STEM. Dr Echeverri’s research sits at the intersection of Neotropical ornithology, conservation psychology, environmental policy, and community ecology. Dr Echeverri’s lab integrates biological field work (such as bird surveys) with quantitative social surveys and qualitative content analysis to understand human relationships with nature. Specifically, she studies how people's behaviors towards the environment (such as habitat conversion) impact the species that live in such environments. She also studies peoples’ attitudes and behaviors towards biodiversity, and the interrelationships between nature and culture to advance the science on biocultural conservation. Her work is coproduced with local communities, governments, and policymakers to codevelop and inform environmental policies.
Echeverri is a National Geographic Young Explorer and a United Nations Youth advocate. Her work has been featured in The Washington Post, Forbes Science, Elle magazine Canada, Nature News and various newspapers and media outlets across the world. She was born and raised in the coffee-growing region of Colombia. Her experiences as a Latina in STEM who has held positions in the Norwegian Peace Corps, as an environmental consultant in Colombia, and as a scientist in Canada and the United States inform her practice as a conservation scientist and professor. She is committed to producing good science, training the next generation of conservation scientists, and codeveloping evidence-based policies with governments and local communities so that we can have a better world for people and for many other species with whom we share our planet.
BSc in Biology. Universidad de los Andes, Bogotá, Colombia (2012)
MSc in Resource Management and Environmental Studies. University of Brisith Columbia, Vancouver, Canada (2015)
PhD in Resources, Environment, and Sustainability. University of British Columbia, Vancouver, Canada (2019)
Conservation Science, Neotropical Ornithology, Conservation psychology, Community Ecology, Cultural Values of Nature, Women/Latinx in STEM
My research seeks to understand how people and wildlife can thrive together in forested and agricultural landscapes. Humans have modified landscapes and caused animals to go extinct. However, humans have also saved so many species from extinction. My research explores where animals live and how humans are shaping their distributions across space and time. I also look at what motivates people to care for biodiversity and donate to conservation, by eliciting the cultural value of wildlife. I engage with governments, local communities, and multi-lateral development banks in codeveloping environmental policies.
Echeverri, A., Furumo, P.R., Moss, S., Figot Kuthy, A.G., Garcia Aguirre, D., Mandle, L., Valencia, I.D., Ruckelshaus, M., Daily, G.C., Lambin, E.F. (2023). Colombian biodiversity is governed through a rich and diverse policy mix. Nature Ecology and Evolution, 7(3):382-392.
Langhans, K*., Echeverri, A.*, Daws, C., Moss, S., Anderson, C.B., Chaplin-Kramer, R., Hendershot, J.N., Liu, L., Mandle, L., Remme, R.P., Schmitt, R.J.P., Smith, J.R., Vogl, A., Daily, G.C. Centering justice in conceptualizing and restoring access to nature. People and Nature. https://doi.org/10.1002/pan3.10470
Echeverri, A., Guzman, L.M., Heredia, S., Ocampo-Peñuela, N., Umaña, M.N. (2022). Renegotiating identities in international academic careers. Nature Ecology and Evolution. 6(12):1796-1798.
Echeverri, A., Smith, J.R., MacArthur-Waltz, D., Lauck, K.S., Anderson, C.B., Monge Vargas, R., … Daily, G.C. (2022). Biodiversity and infrastructure interact to drive tourism to and within Costa Rica. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 119(11): e2107662119.
Echeverri, A., Karp, D.S., Frishkoff, L.O., Krishnan, J., Naidoo, R., Zhao, J., ... & Chan, K.M. (2021). Avian cultural services peak in tropical wet forests. Conservation Letters, 14(2), e12763.
Echeverri, A., Karp, D.S., Naidoo, R., Tobias, J.A., Zhao, J., & Chan, K.M. (2020). Can avian functional traits predict cultural ecosystem services?. People and Nature, 2(1), 138-151.
Echeverri, A., Naidoo, R., Karp, D.S., Chan, K.M., & Zhao, J. (2019). Iconic manakins and despicable grackles: Comparing cultural ecosystem services and disservices across stakeholders in Costa Rica. Ecological Indicators, 106, 105454.
Echeverri, A., Frishkoff, L.O., Gomez, J. P., Zook, J.R., Juárez, P., Naidoo, R., ... & Karp, D.S. (2019). Precipitation and tree cover gradients structure avian alpha diversity in North‐western Costa Rica. Diversity and Distributions, 25(8), 1222-1233.
Echeverri, A., Karp, D.S., Naidoo, R., Zhao, J., & Chan, K.M. (2018). Approaching human-animal relationships from multiple angles: A synthetic perspective. Biological Conservation, 224, 50-62.
Echeverri, A., Chan, K. M., & Zhao, J. (2017). How messaging shapes attitudes toward sea otters as a species at risk. Human Dimensions of Wildlife, 22(2), 142-156.
Echeverri, A., Callahan, M. M., Chan, K. M., Satterfield, T., & Zhao, J. (2017). Explicit not implicit preferences predict conservation intentions for endangered species and biomes. PloS one, 12(1), e0170973.
Pritzker Emerging Environmental Genius Award Nominee. UCLA (2021)
Stanford Postdoc JEDI (Justice, Equity, Diversity, Inclusion) Champion Award (2021)
Finalist in the CGS ProQuest Distinguished Dissertation Award (2021)
Freda Pagani Award for Outstanding Doctoral Dissertation (CAD$700). UBC ( 2020)
Finalist in the Schmidt Science Fellowship competition. UBC candidate to the global competition (2019)
Raja Rosenbluth Award for Women in Biological Sciences (CAD$5,000). UBC (2018)
GSS cIRcle Open Scholar Award (CAD$500). UBC Library (2017)
Les Lavkulich Award for Outstanding Leadership and Service (CAD$500). UBC (2017)
International Tuition Award (CAD$1,066). UBC (2016)
Freda Pagani Award for outstanding master’s thesis (CAD$600). UBC (2016)
Werner and Hildegard Hesse Research Award in Ornithology (CAD$1,500). UBC (2016)
International Tuition Award (CAD$2,134). UBC (2015)
Faculty of Science Graduate Award (CAD$6,000). UBC (2015)
Faculty of Science Graduate Award (CAD $4,000). UBC (2013)
Contact details
Alejandra Echeverri Ochoa
Department of Environmental Science, Policy, & Management
UC Berkeley
130 Mulford Hall #54
Berkeley, CA 94720